Album Focus: Neon Neon – 'Stainless Style'

Hi there, I'm Nate Lanxon, and this is Encoded's Album Focus show, where I tell you all about this week's hottest album release.

This week we're getting shiny, bright and super non-stick with Neon Neon, whose debut album Stainless Style came out on Monday.

Neon Neon is a collaborative project between Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and electro pioneer Boom Bip, who first hooked up a couple of years ago when Gruff provided the vocal for Boom Bip's track 'Dos and Don'ts'.

Now they've decided to do a whole album together and roped a load of their pals in to help, and the result is one of the most infectious, accessible and ultimately poppy albums that you'll hear this year.

Stainless Style owes its sound to the polished synth-pop of the 80s, and centres around the decadent life of car designer and entrepreneur John DeLorean.

If you think the name DeLorean sounds familiar, that's because old Johnny boy was the man who designed the DMC-12 – the car in Back to the Future, and if you think the various different vocals on the album sound familiar, that's because they're provided by the likes of The Magic Numbers, Har Mar Superstar and Spank Rock.

Har Mar and Spank feature on 'Trick for Treat', which had a limited release before Christmas as a teaser for the album. The track is a huge disco number that bangs like a skint prostitute, and along with 'Sweatshop', which features Yo Majesty, Stainless Style has an edgy hip hop element, which even further broadens its appeal.

New single 'I Lust You', featuring up-and-coming one to watch Cate Le Bon, comes out on March 24th, and you can see the video by heading over to www.mtv.co.uk.

While you're online, click on to their MySpace page to get a four-track sample of the Neon Neon sound. As well as all the singles so far, you can check out the track 'I Told Her on Alderaan', which is the most Super Furry-sounding thing on the whole album.

Next week we'll be running our fine-tooth comb through the silky mane of Foals and their debut album Antidotes, so until then kids, always wipe twice.